The Verulamium Forum Inscription (tentatively dated to AD 79, during the reign of the emperor Titus) is one of the many Roman

inscription Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

s in Britain. It is also known as the "Basilica inscription", as it is believed to have been attached to the

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name t ...

Verulamium Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upo ...

(on the edge of modern

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman ro ...

). The surviving fragments have been reconstructed as a large dedication slab (approx. 4.3m x 1.0m) on display at

Verulamium Museum Verulamium was a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, though much has been built upo ...

. The fragments were found in 1955 during construction work in the yard of St Michael's Primary School, St Albans. The find-spot lay near the north-east entrance to the

forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses *Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States * Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

and basilica of Verulamium. The inscription is notable because it mentions

Gnaeus Julius Agricola Gnaeus Julius Agricola (; 13 June 40 – 23 August 93) was a Roman general and politician responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. Born to a political family of senatorial rank, Agricola began his military career as a military tribu ...

, the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

from AD 77–84, who is otherwise known from a

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

written by his son-in-law

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his t ...

Text

The inscription was reconstructed by Professor

Sheppard Frere Sheppard Sunderland Frere, CBE, FSA, FBA (23 August 1916 – 26 February 2015) was a British historian and archaeologist who studied the Roman Empire. He was a fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Biography The son of Noel Gray Frere, of the ...

to read as follows:

MP TITO CAESARI DIVIVESPA IANIF VES ASIANO AUGbr /> M TR P VIIII IMP XV COS VIIDESI VIII CENSORI PATRI PATRIAEbr /> [_ET_CAESARI_DIVI_VESPASIANI_F_DOMITIANO_COS_VI_DESIG_VII_PRINCIPI_.html" ;"title="ET CAESARI DIVI VESPASIANI F DOMITIANO COS VI DESIG VII PRINCIPI ">[ ET CAESARI DIVI VESPASIANI F DOMITIANO COS VI DESIG VII PRINCIPI ">ET CAESARI DIVI VESPASIANI F DOMITIANO COS VI DESIG VII PRINCIPI ">[ ET CAESARI DIVI VESPASIANI F DOMITIANO COS VI DESIG VII PRINCIPI br /> [ [ IVVENTVTIS ET OMNIVM COLLEGIORVM SACERDOTI ] ]
[CN IVLIO A]GRIC[OLA LEGATO AUG PRO] PR
[MVNICIPIVM] VE[RVLAMIVM BASILICA OR]NATA

This version would be expanded to read:

IMP(eratori) TITO CAESARI DIVI VESPASIANI F(ilio) VESPASIANO AVG(usto)
P(ontifici) M(aximo) TR(ibuniciae) P(otestatis) VIIII IMP(eratori) XV CO(n)S(uli) VII DESIG(nato) VIII CENSORI PATRI PATRIAE
ET CAESARI DIVI VESPASIANI F(ilio) DOMITIANO CO(n)S(uli) VI DESIG(nato) VII PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS ET OMNIVM COLLEGIORVM SACERDOTI
GN(aeo) IVLIO AGRICOLA LEGATO AVG(usti) PRO PR(aetore)
MVNICIPIVM VERVLAMIVM BASILICA ORNATA

This translates as:

For the Emperor Titus Caesar Vespasian Augustus, son of the deified Vespasian,
Pontifex Maximus, in the ninth year of tribunician power, acclaimed
Imperator The Latin word ''imperator'' derives from the stem of the verb la, imperare, label=none, meaning 'to order, to command'. It was originally employed as a title roughly equivalent to ''commander'' under the Roman Republic. Later it became a part o ...
fifteen times, having been
consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...
seven times, designated consul for an eighth time, censor, Father of the Fatherland,
and to Caesar Domitian, son of the deified Vespasian, having been consul six times, designated consul for a seventh term, Prince of Youth, and member of all the priestly brotherhoods,
when Gnaeus Julius Agricola was legate of the emperor with pro-praetorian power,
the Verulamium basilica was adorned.

The last line is particularly fragmentary, and the alternative reconstruction CIVITAS CATVVELLAVNORVM FORO EXORNATA ("the forum of the Catuvellaunian tribal council was embellished") has been considered, along with the less likely RESPVBLICA VERVLAMIVM LATIO DONA ("... donated the funds to widen the Verulamium public-works"). The inscription can be dated either to AD 79, the year

Vespasian Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...

died (he would not have been referred to as ''divus'' until after his death) and Titus had his seventh consulship, or to AD 81 (by altering the various numerals).See Wikipedia's

list of early imperial Roman consuls This is a list of consuls known to have held office, from the beginning of the Roman Republic to the latest use of the title in Imperial times, together with those magistrates of the Republic who were appointed in place of consuls, or who superse ...

The reference to his brother

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flav ...

was defaced, as were most inscriptions referring to him, after ''

damnatio memoriae is a modern Latin phrase meaning "condemnation of memory", indicating that a person is to be excluded from official accounts. Depending on the extent, it can be a case of historical negationism. There are and have been many routes to , includin ...

'' was pronounced on him in 96.

Publication

The inscription has been published as: * ''

L'Année épigraphique ''L'Année épigraphique'' (''The Epigraphic Year'', standard abbreviation ''AE'') is a French publication on epigraphy (i.e the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing). It was set up by René Cagnat, as holder of the chair of 'Epigraphy an ...

'' (AE) 1957, 169 * ''

Roman Inscriptions of Britain ''Roman Inscriptions of Britain'' is a 3-volume corpus of inscriptions found in Britain from the Roman period. It is an important reference work for all scholars of Roman Britain. This monumental work was initiated by Francis J. Haverfield, whose ...

'' (RIB) 3123

References

{{reflist Latin inscriptions Roman archaeology

Forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses *Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States * Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

1st-century inscriptions 1st-century establishments in Roman Britain

Text

Publication

See also

References